U.S. patent application number 13/763247 was filed with the patent office on 2014-03-13 for enhanced content distribution using advertisements.
This patent application is currently assigned to VERANCE CORPORATION. The applicant listed for this patent is VERANCE CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Jian Zhao.
Application Number | 20140075466 13/763247 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50234773 |
Filed Date | 2014-03-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140075466 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Zhao; Jian |
March 13, 2014 |
ENHANCED CONTENT DISTRIBUTION USING ADVERTISEMENTS
Abstract
Methods, devices, and computer program products are provided to
enhance viewing of an entertainment content in the presence of
advertisements. At a compliant device, an indication is received
that the entertainment content is associated with a content policy
information relating to presentation of advertisements during, or
prior to, presentation of the entertainment content. A further
indication is received that the entertainment content is associated
with an advertisement award program. An advertisement award program
message provides that the advertisements may be presented in a
modified form in exchange for a specific number of award points.
Upon receiving an indication agreeing to such an exchange,
advertisements are allowed to be presented in a modified form. The
content policy information can be ascertained through extraction of
watermarks embedded in the advertisements or the entertainment
content and/or through computation and matching of fingerprints
associated with the advertisements or the entertainment
content.
Inventors: |
Zhao; Jian; (San Diego,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
VERANCE CORPORATION |
San Diego |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
VERANCE CORPORATION
San Diego
CA
|
Family ID: |
50234773 |
Appl. No.: |
13/763247 |
Filed: |
February 8, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61700830 |
Sep 13, 2012 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
725/23 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 30/0249 20130101;
H04N 21/435 20130101; H04N 21/44204 20130101; H04N 21/812 20130101;
H04N 21/4784 20130101; H04N 21/23892 20130101; H04N 21/4542
20130101; H04N 21/44016 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
725/23 |
International
Class: |
H04N 21/4784 20060101
H04N021/4784 |
Claims
1. A method, comprising: receiving an indication at a compliant
device that an entertainment content is associated with a content
policy information, the content policy information relating to
presentation of one or more advertisements during, or prior to,
presentation of the entertainment content, the content policy
information ascertained through one or both of: (a) extraction of
watermarks embedded in the one or more advertisements or the
entertainment content or (b) computation and matching of
fingerprints associated with the one or more advertisements or the
entertainment content; receiving an indication that the
entertainment content is associated with an advertisement award
program; providing an advertisement award program message
indicating that modified presentation of the one or more
advertisements is allowed in exchange for a specific number of
award points of an advertisement award program; and upon receiving
an indication that modified presentation of the one or more
advertisements in exchange for the specific number of award points
is desired, allowing the one or more advertisements to be presented
in a modified form.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the content policy information is
indicative that presentation of the one or more advertisements
cannot be modified without receiving further input from a user or
from a user device.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement award program
is associated with one of: a user, or the compliant device.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving
identification information associated with a user or with the
compliant device to enable access to award points of the
advertisement award program associated with the user or with the
compliant device.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising accumulating further
award points in return for one or more of the following:
presentation of one or more un-modified advertisements, purchase of
one or more specific entertainment contents, or purchase of at
least some of the specific number of award points.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising accumulating further
award points in return for presentation of one or more unmodified
advertisements on each of a plurality of devices associated with a
user.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein modified presentation of the one
or more advertisements includes one or more of: shortened
presentation of the one or more advertisements or skipping of the
one or more advertisements.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: upon receiving an
indication that modified presentation of the one or more
advertisements in exchange for the specific number of award points
is not desired, presenting a message indicating that presentation
of the entertainment content is allowed upon an agreement to view
the one or more advertisement in unmodified format; and upon
receiving an indication as to an agreement to view the one or more
advertisements in unmodified format, presenting the one or more
advertisements without modification.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: upon receiving an
indication that modified presentation of the one or more
advertisements in exchange for the specific number of award points
is not desired, presenting a message indicating that presentation
of the entertainment content is allowed upon an agreement to view
the one or more advertisement in unmodified format; and upon
receiving an indication as a lack of an agreement to view the one
or more advertisements in unmodified format, providing a command to
stop or prevent presentation of the entertainment content.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement award program
is owned by a particular entity, and award points of the
advertisement award program are redeemable through other entities
affiliated with the particular entity.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the particular entity is one
of: an advertiser, a television network, an entertainment content
owner, or a content distributor.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement award program
is identified at least in-part by identifying the entertainment
content using one or more of the following: (A) watermarks that are
embedded in the entertainment content, (B) watermarks that are
embedded in the one or more advertisements, (C) fingerprints that
are computed based on the entertainment content, or (D)
fingerprints that are computed based on the one or more
advertisements.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein: the content policy information
is associated with a specific aspect of the entertainment content,
the specific aspect comprising one or more of: a rights holder of
the entertainment content, a distribution channel of the
entertainment content, a platform on which the entertainment
content is presented, a genre of the entertainment content, a
release window of the entertainment content, or a format of the
entertainment content; and the one or more advertisements in
modified form are presented before allowing or resuming
presentation of each entertainment content having the same specific
aspect.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the rights holder of the
entertainment content includes one of a creator or a distributor of
the entertainment content.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein the distribution channel
includes one of over-the-top (OTT), over-the-air, video on demand
(VOD), satellite, cable, wireless or Internet distribution
channels.
16. The method of claim 13, wherein the platform includes one of a
mobile, desktop, or television platforms.
17. A device, comprising: a receiver configured to receive one or
both of (a) an entertainment content and (b) one or more
advertisements; and a processor configured: to receive an
indication that an entertainment content is associated with a
content policy information, the content policy information relating
to presentation of one or more advertisements during, or prior to,
presentation of the entertainment content, the content policy
information ascertained through one or both of (A) watermarks
embedded in the one or more advertisements or the entertainment
content, or (B) computation of fingerprints associated with the one
or more advertisements or the entertainment content; to receive an
indication that the entertainment content is associated with an
advertisement award program, to provide an advertisement award
program message indicating that modified presentation of the one or
more advertisements is allowed in exchange for a specific number of
award points of an advertisement award program, and upon receiving
an indication that modified presentation of the one or more
advertisements in exchange for the specific number of award points
is desired, to allow the one or more advertisements to be presented
in a modified form.
18. The device of claim 17, wherein the content policy information
is indicative that presentation of the one or more advertisements
cannot be modified without receiving further input.
19. The device of claim 17, wherein the advertisement award program
is associated with one of: a user, or the device.
20. The device of claim 17, wherein the processor is further
configured to receive identification information associated with a
user or with the device to enable access to award points of the
advertisement award program associated with the user or the
device.
21. The device of claim 17, wherein the processor is further
configured to accumulate further award points in return for one or
more of the following: presentation of one or more un-modified
advertisements, purchase of one or more specific entertainment
contents, or purchase of at least some of the specific number of
award points.
22. The device of claim 17, wherein modified presentation of the
one or more advertisements includes one or more of: shortened
presentation of the one or more advertisements or skipping of the
one or more advertisements.
23. The device of claim 17, wherein the processor is further
configured to: upon receiving an indication that modified
presentation of the one or more advertisements in exchange for the
specific number of award points is not desired, present a message
indicating that presentation of the entertainment content is
allowed upon an agreement to view the one or more advertisement in
unmodified format; and upon receiving an indication as to an
agreement to view the one or more advertisements in unmodified
format, present the one or more advertisements without
modification.
24. The device of claim 17, wherein the processor is further
configured to: upon receiving an indication that modified
presentation of the one or more advertisements in exchange for the
specific number of award points is not desired, present a message
indicating that presentation of the entertainment content is
allowed upon an agreement to view the one or more advertisement in
unmodified format; and upon receiving an indication as to a lack of
an agreement to view the one or more advertisements in unmodified
format, provide a command to stop or prevent presentation of the
entertainment content.
25. The device of claim 17, wherein the advertisement award program
is owned by a particular entity, and wherein the particular entity
is one of: an advertiser, a television network, an entertainment
content owner, or a content distributor.
26. The device of claim 17, wherein the device includes at least
one of: (a) a watermark extractor configured to extract watermarks
that are embedded in the entertainment content or in the one or
more advertisements, or (b) a fingerprint computation component
configured to compute a fingerprint associated with the
entertainment content or in the one or more advertisements; and the
device is further configured to identify the advertisement award
program using one or more of the following: (A) watermarks
extracted from the entertainment content by the watermark
extractor, (B) watermarks extracted from the one or more
advertisements by the watermark extractor, (C) fingerprints
computed based on the entertainment content by the fingerprint
computation component, or (D) fingerprints computed based on the
one or more advertisements by the fingerprint computation
component.
27. The device of claim 26, wherein one or both of the watermark
extractor and fingerprint computation component are implemented as
a component separate from the processor.
28. The device of claim 26, wherein one or both of the watermark
extractor and fingerprint computation component are implemented as
part of the processor.
29. The device of claim 17, wherein: the content policy information
is associated with a specific aspect of the entertainment content,
the specific aspect comprising one or more of: a rights holder of
the entertainment content, a distribution channel of the
entertainment content, a platform on which the entertainment
content is presented, a genre of the entertainment content, a
release window of the entertainment content, or a format of the
entertainment content; and the processor is configured to allow
presentation of the one or more advertisements in modified form for
each entertainment content having the same specific aspect.
30. The device of claim 29, wherein the rights holder of the
entertainment content includes one of a creator or a distributor of
the entertainment content.
31. The device of claim 29, wherein the distribution channel
includes one of over-the-top (OTT), over-the-air, video on demand
(VOD), satellite, cable, wireless or Internet distribution
channels.
32. The device of claim 29, wherein the platform includes one of a
mobile, desktop, or television platforms.
33. The device of claim 17, wherein the device is one of a: mobile
device, a set-top box device, a handheld device, a personal
computer, or a Blu-ray playback device.
34. A computer program product, embodied on a non-transitory
computer readable medium, comprising: program code for receiving an
indication at a compliant device that an entertainment content is
associated with a content policy information, the content policy
information relating to presentation of one or more advertisements
during, or prior to, presentation of the entertainment content, the
content policy information ascertained through one or both of (a)
watermarks embedded in the one or more advertisements or the
entertainment content, or (b) computation of fingerprints
associated with the one or more advertisements or the entertainment
content; program code for receiving an indication that the
entertainment content is associated with an advertisement award
program; program code for providing an advertisement award program
message indicating that modified presentation of the one or more
advertisements is allowed in exchange for a specific number of
award points of an advertisement award program; and program code
for, upon receiving an indication that modified presentation of the
one or more advertisements in exchange for the specific number of
award points is desired, allowing the one or more advertisements to
be presented in a modified form.
35. The method of claim 1, wherein the content policy information
(CPI) is ascertained through extraction of an embedded watermark
comprising an advertisement-obliged CPI state informing the
compliant device that an obligation to present the one or more
advertisements exists.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This patent application claims the benefit of priority to
U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/700,830 filed on Sep.
13, 2012, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety
for all purposes.
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0002] The present application generally relates to the field of
multimedia content presentation and advertisement.
BACKGROUND
[0003] The use and presentation of multimedia content on a variety
of mobile and fixed platforms have rapidly proliferated. By taking
advantage of storage paradigms, such as cloud-based storage
infrastructures, reduced form factor of media players, and
high-speed wireless network capabilities, users can readily access
and consume multimedia content regardless of the physical location
of the users or the multimedia content.
[0004] A multimedia content, such as an audiovisual content, often
consists of a series of related images which, when shown in
succession, impart an impression of motion, together with
accompanying sounds, if any. Such a content can be accessed from
various sources including local storage such as hard drives or
optical disks, remote storage such as Internet sites or
cable/satellite distribution servers, over-the-air broadcast
channels, etc. In some scenarios, such a multimedia content, or
portions thereof, may contain only one type of content, including,
but not limited to, a still image, a video sequence and an audio
clip, while in other scenarios, the multimedia content, or portions
thereof, may contain two or more types of content.
SUMMARY
[0005] The disclosed embodiments relate to methods, devices and
computer program products that facilitate enhanced use and
interaction with a multimedia content, and presentation and
consumption of advertisements at a compliant device.
[0006] One aspect of the disclosed embodiments relates to a method
that includes receiving an indication at a compliant device that an
entertainment content is associated with a content policy
information. The content policy information relates to presentation
of one or more advertisements during, or prior to, presentation of
the entertainment content. Further, the content policy information
is ascertained through one or both of (a) extraction of watermarks
embedded in the one or more advertisements or the entertainment
content and (b) computation and matching of fingerprints associated
with the one or more advertisements or the entertainment content.
The above noted method also includes receiving an indication that
the entertainment content is associated with an advertisement award
program, and providing an advertisement award program message
indicating that modified presentation of the one or more
advertisements is allowed in exchange for a specific number of
award points of an advertisement award program. Additionally, upon
receiving an indication that modified presentation of the one or
more advertisements in exchange for the specific number of award
points is desired, the method includes allowing the one or more
advertisements to be presented in a modified form.
[0007] In one example embodiment, the content policy information is
indicative that presentation of the one or more advertisements
cannot be modified without receiving further input from a user or
from a user device. In another example embodiment, the
advertisement award program is associated with one of: a user, and
the compliant device. According to yet another example, embodiment,
the above noted method further comprises receiving identification
information associated with a user or with the compliant device to
enable access to award points of the advertisement award program
associated with the user or with the compliant device. In still
another embodiment, the above noted method further includes
accumulating further award points in return for one or more of the
following: presentation of one or more un-modified advertisements,
purchase of one or more specific entertainment contents, and
purchase of at least some of the specific number of award
points.
[0008] In another example embodiment, the above noted method
additionally includes accumulating further award points in return
for presentation of one or more unmodified advertisements on each
of a plurality of devices associated with a user. In one example
embodiment, modified presentation of the one or more advertisements
includes one or more of: shortened presentation of the one or more
advertisements and skipping of the one or more advertisements. In
another example embodiment, the above noted method further
includes, upon receiving an indication that modified presentation
of the one or more advertisements in exchange for the specific
number of award points is not desired, presenting a message
indicating that presentation of the entertainment content is
allowed upon an agreement to view the one or more advertisement in
unmodified format, and upon receiving an indication as to an
agreement to view the one or more advertisements in unmodified
format, presenting the one or more advertisements without
modification.
[0009] According to another exemplary embodiment, the above noted
method also includes, upon receiving an indication that modified
presentation of the one or more advertisements in exchange for the
specific number of award points is not desired, presenting a
message indicating that presentation of the entertainment content
is allowed upon an agreement to view the one or more advertisement
in unmodified format, and upon receiving an indication as a lack of
an agreement to view the one or more advertisements in unmodified
format, providing a command to stop or prevent presentation of the
entertainment content. In yet another exemplary embodiment, the
advertisement award program is owned by a particular entity, and
award points of the advertisement award program are redeemable
through other entities affiliated with the particular entity. For
example, the particular entity can be selected as one of: an
advertiser, a television network, an entertainment content owner,
and a content distributor.
[0010] In one exemplary embodiment, the advertisement award program
is identified at least in-part by identifying the entertainment
content using one or more of the following: (A) watermarks that are
embedded in the entertainment content, (B) watermarks that are
embedded in the one or more advertisements, (C) fingerprints that
are computed based on the entertainment content, and (D)
fingerprints that are computed based on the one or more
advertisements.
[0011] According to another example embodiment, the content policy
information is associated with a specific aspect of the
entertainment content, the specific aspect comprising one or more
of: a rights holder of the entertainment content, a distribution
channel of the entertainment content, a platform on which the
entertainment content is presented, a genre of the entertainment
content, a release window of the entertainment content, and a
format of the entertainment content. Additionally, in this
exemplary embodiment, the one or more advertisements in modified
form are presented before allowing or resuming presentation of each
entertainment content having the same specific aspect. In one
exemplary embodiment, the rights holder of the entertainment
content includes one of a creator and a distributor of the
entertainment content. In another exemplary embodiment, the
distribution channel includes one an over-the-top (OTT),
over-the-air, video on demand (VOD), satellite, cable, wireless and
Internet distribution channels. In still another exemplary
embodiment, the platform includes one of a mobile, desktop, and
television platforms.
[0012] Another aspect of the disclosed embodiments relates to a
device that includes a receiver configured to receive one or both
of (a) an entertainment content and (b) one or more advertisements.
Such a device further includes a processor that is configured to
receive an indication that an entertainment content is associated
with a content policy information, the content policy information
relating to presentation of one or more advertisements during, or
prior to, presentation of the entertainment content. The content
policy information ascertained through one or both of (A)
watermarks embedded in the one or more advertisements or the
entertainment content, and (B) computation of fingerprints
associated with the one or more advertisements or the entertainment
content. The processor in such a device is also configured to
receive an indication that the entertainment content is associated
with an advertisement award program, to provide an advertisement
award program message indicating that modified presentation of the
one or more advertisements is allowed in exchange for a specific
number of award points of an advertisement award program, and, upon
receiving an indication that modified presentation of the one or
more advertisements in exchange for the specific number of award
points is desired, to allow the one or more advertisements to be
presented in a modified form.
[0013] In one exemplary embodiment, the content policy information
is indicative that presentation of the one or more advertisements
cannot be modified without receiving further input. In another
exemplary embodiment, the processor is further configured to
receive identification information associated with a user or with
the device to enable access to award points of the advertisement
award program associated with the user or the device. In still
another exemplary embodiment, the processor is further configured
to accumulate further award points in return for one or more of the
following: presentation of one or more un-modified advertisements,
purchase of one or more specific entertainment contents, and
purchase of at least some of the specific number of award
points.
[0014] According to another exemplary embodiment, the processor is
further configured to, upon receiving an indication that modified
presentation of the one or more advertisements in exchange for the
specific number of award points is not desired, present a message
indicating that presentation of the entertainment content is
allowed upon an agreement to view the one or more advertisement in
unmodified format. In this embodiment, the processor is
additionally configured to, upon receiving an indication as to an
agreement to view the one or more advertisements in unmodified
format, present the one or more advertisements without
modification.
[0015] In one example embodiment, the processor is further
configured to, upon receiving an indication that modified
presentation of the one or more advertisements in exchange for the
specific number of award points is not desired, present a message
indicating that presentation of the entertainment content is
allowed upon an agreement to view the one or more advertisement in
unmodified format. In this exemplary embodiment, the processor is
also configured to, upon receiving an indication as to a lack of an
agreement to view the one or more advertisements in unmodified
format, provide a command to stop or prevent presentation of the
entertainment content.
[0016] According to one exemplary embodiment, the above noted
device includes at least one of (a) a watermark extractor
configured to extract watermarks that are embedded in the
entertainment content or in the one or more advertisements, and (b)
a fingerprint computation component configured to compute a
fingerprint associated with the entertainment content or in the one
or more advertisements. Additionally, the device is further
configured to identify the advertisement award program using one or
more of the following: (A) watermarks extracted from the
entertainment content by the watermark extractor, (B) watermarks
extracted from the one or more advertisements by the watermark
extractor, (C) fingerprints computed based on the entertainment
content by the fingerprint computation component, and (D)
fingerprints computed based on the one or more advertisements by
the fingerprint computation component. In one exemplary embodiment,
one or both of the watermark extractor and fingerprint computation
component are implemented as a component separate from the
processor. In another exemplary embodiment, one or both of the
watermark extractor and fingerprint computation component are
implemented as part of the processor.
[0017] According to yet another exemplary embodiment, the content
policy information is associated with a specific aspect of the
entertainment content, the specific aspect comprising one or more
of: a rights holder of the entertainment content, a distribution
channel of the entertainment content, a platform on which the
entertainment content is presented, a genre of the entertainment
content, a release window of the entertainment content, and a
format of the entertainment content. In this exemplary embodiment,
the processor is configured to allow presentation of the one or
more advertisements in modified form for each entertainment content
having the same specific aspect. In another exemplary embodiment,
the above noted device is one of a: mobile device, a set-top box
device, a handheld device, a personal computer, and a Blu-ray
playback device.
[0018] Another aspect of the disclosed embodiments relates to a
computer program product, embodied on a non-transitory computer
readable medium, that includes program code for receiving an
indication at a compliant device that an entertainment content is
associated with a content policy information. where the content
policy information relates to presentation of one or more
advertisements during, or prior to, presentation of the
entertainment content, and the content policy information is
ascertained through one or both of (a) watermarks embedded in the
one or more advertisements or the entertainment content, (b)
computation of fingerprints associated with the one or more
advertisements or the entertainment content. The computer program
product further includes program code for receiving an indication
that the entertainment content is associated with an advertisement
award program, program code for providing an advertisement award
program message indicating that modified presentation of the one or
more advertisements is allowed in exchange for a specific number of
award points of an advertisement award program, and program code
for, upon receiving an indication that modified presentation of the
one or more advertisements in exchange for the specific number of
award points is desired, allowing the one or more advertisements to
be presented in a modified form.
[0019] Another aspect of the disclosed embodiments relates to a
method that includes receiving at least a portion of an
entertainment content at a compliant device, and obtaining content
policy information associated with the received entertainment
content, where the content policy information relates to
presentation of one or more advertisements during a specific
release window of the entertainment content, and the content policy
information is ascertained through one or both of: (a) extraction
of watermarks that are embedded in the one or more advertisements
or the entertainment content, and (b) computation and matching of
fingerprints associated with the one or more advertisements or the
entertainment content. Such an exemplary method further includes
triggering presentation of the one or more advertisements: before
allowing presentation of advertisement-free playback of the
entertainment content, or simultaneous with presentation of the
entertainment content.
[0020] In one exemplary embodiment, the release window includes a
specific time period, upon the termination of which, the
entertainment content is released in a different format. In one
example embodiment, release of the entertainment content in the
different format includes release of the entertainment content as a
Blu-ray content, a broadcast television content, a cable television
content, a video-on-demand content and a format playable by a
mobile device.
[0021] According to another exemplary embodiment, the same one or
more advertisements is presented before allowing or resuming
presentation of the entertainment content on a plurality of
playback devices. In one exemplary embodiment, each of the
plurality of playback devices is categorized as at least one of: a
mobile device, a set-top box device, a handheld device, a personal
computer, and a Blu-ray playback device, and the content policy
information provides for a different set of enforcement actions for
each category of playback devices. In still another embodiment, the
above noted method that takes into account the release window
further includes, after allowing presentation of at least one
advertisement, determining whether or not a sufficient number or
duration of advertisements has been presented, and when an
insufficient number or duration of advertisements has been
presented, triggering presentation of at least one additional
advertisement.
[0022] In yet another embodiment, existence of the specific release
window is signaled through watermarks that are embedded in the
entertainment content. In another example embodiment, expiration of
the specific time window is signaled through watermarks that are
embedded in the entertainment content that differ from watermarks
that signal existence of the specific release window. In yet
another exemplary embodiment, the one or more advertisements are
selected to target a specific group of users and/or user devices
based on a particular set of criteria. For example, the particular
set of criteria includes one or more of: a title of the
entertainment content, an advertisement presentation history of the
compliant device, an advertisement presentation history of a user
of the compliant device, a programming contextual relevance of the
one or more advertisements, a current date and time, feedback of a
user related to the one or more advertisements, a geographical
location of the compliant device, a platform on which the compliant
device is implemented, a type of the entertainment content, a
storage format of the entertainment content, a distributor of the
entertainment content, and a distribution channel of the
entertainment content.
[0023] According to another embodiment, watermarks that are
embedded in the entertainment content or in the one or more
advertisements allow obtaining identification information
associated with the entertainment content or with the one or more
advertisements. In one exemplary embodiment, the identification
information includes one or more of: a content identifier (CID), a
source identifier (SourceID) and a timecode.
[0024] According to another example embodiment, the entertainment
content does not include embedded watermarks, and the one or more
advertisements include embedded watermarks. In this exemplary
embodiment, triggering presentation of the one or more
advertisements comprises determining a duration of watermarked
advertisements from a plurality of timecodes embedded in the one or
more presented advertisements, determining whether or not a
sufficient duration or number of advertisements has been presented,
and, upon a determination that a sufficient duration or number of
advertisements has not been presented, triggering presentation of
at least one additional advertisement.
[0025] In one exemplary embodiment, the entertainment content
includes embedded watermarks and the one or more advertisements do
not include embedded watermarks. In this exemplary embodiment,
presenting the one or more advertisements comprises determining a
duration of watermarked advertisements based on an absence of
watermarks as the entertainment content is being presented,
determining whether or not a sufficient duration or number of
advertisements has been presented, and, upon a determination that a
sufficient duration or number of advertisements has not been
presented, triggering presentation of at least one additional
advertisement.
[0026] In yet another exemplary embodiment, the entertainment
content includes embedded watermarks, and the one or more
advertisements include embedded watermarks. In this exemplary
embodiment, presenting one or more advertisements includes
identifying the entertainment content using the watermarks that are
embedded in the entertainment content, identifying the one or more
advertisements using the watermarks that are embedded in the one or
more advertisements, determining whether or not the identified one
or more advertisements are non-skippable with respect to the
identified entertainment content, and, upon a determination that
the identified one or more advertisements are non-skippable with
respect to the identified entertainment content, triggering
presentation of the one or more non-skippable advertisements.
[0027] Another aspect of the disclosed embodiments relates to a
device that includes a receiver configured to receive one or both
of (a) an entertainment content and (b) one or more advertisements.
Such device also includes a processor that is configured to obtain
content policy information associated with the received
entertainment content, where the content policy information relates
to presentation of one or more advertisements during a specific
release window of the entertainment content, and the content policy
information is ascertained through one or both of: (a) extraction
of watermarks that are embedded in the one or more advertisements
or the entertainment content, and (b) computation of fingerprints
associated with the one or more advertisements or the entertainment
content. The processor of such a device is further configured to
trigger presentation of the one or more advertisements: before
allowing presentation of advertisement-free playback of the
entertainment content or simultaneous with presentation of the
entertainment content.
[0028] In one exemplary embodiment, the processor is further
configured to, after presentation of at least one advertisement,
determine whether or not a sufficient number or duration of
advertisements has been presented, and upon a determination that an
insufficient number or duration of advertisements has been
presented, trigger presentation of at least one additional
advertisement. In another exemplary embodiment, the device further
comprises a watermark extractor configured to extract one or more
watermarks that are embedded in the entertainment content, and the
processor is further configured to determine existence of the
specific release window through the extracted watermarks. In yet
another exemplary embodiment, the processor is further configured
to determine expiration of the specific time window through at
least one extracted watermark. In still another exemplary the
watermark extractor is implemented as a component separate from the
processor, while in another exemplary embodiment, the watermark
extractor is implemented as part of the processor.
[0029] In another exemplary embodiment, the device further
comprises a watermark extractor configured to extract one or more
watermark that are embedded in the entertainment content or in the
one or more advertisements, and the processor is further configured
to obtain identification information associated with the
entertainment content or with the one or more advertisements from
the watermarks extracted by the watermark extractor.
[0030] In yet another exemplary embodiment, the entertainment
content does not include embedded watermarks, the one or more
advertisements include embedded watermarks. In this exemplary
embodiment, the processor is configured to trigger presentation of
the one or more advertisements by at least: determining a duration
of watermarked advertisements from a plurality of timecodes
embedded in the one or more presented advertisements, determining
whether or not a sufficient duration or number of advertisements
has been presented, and, upon a determination that a sufficient
duration or number of advertisements has not been presented,
triggering presentation of at least one additional advertisement
must be presented.
[0031] In another exemplary embodiment, the entertainment content
includes embedded watermarks and the one or more advertisements do
not include embedded watermarks. In this exemplary embodiment, the
processor is configured to trigger presentation of the one or more
advertisements by at least: determining a duration of watermarked
advertisements based on an absence of watermarks as the
entertainment content is being presented, determining whether or
not a sufficient duration or number of advertisements has been
presented, and, upon a determination that a sufficient duration or
number of advertisements has not been presented, triggering
presentation of at least one additional advertisement must be
presented.
[0032] In still another exemplary embodiment, the entertainment
content includes embedded watermarks and the one or more
advertisements include embedded watermarks. In this exemplary
embodiment, the processor is configured to trigger presentation of
the one or more advertisements by at least: identifying the
entertainment content using the watermarks that are embedded in the
entertainment content, identifying the one or more advertisements
using the watermarks that are embedded in the one or more
advertisements, determining whether or not the identified one or
more advertisements are non-skippable with respect to the
identified entertainment content, and upon a determination that the
identified one or more advertisements are non-skippable with
respect to the identified entertainment content, triggering
presentation of the one or more non-skippable advertisements.
[0033] Another aspect of the disclosed embodiments relates to a
computer program product, embodied on a non-transitory computer
readable medium. The computer program product includes program code
for receiving at least a portion of an entertainment content at a
compliant device and program code for obtaining content policy
information associated with the received entertainment content,
where the content policy information relates to presentation of one
or more advertisements during a specific release window of the
entertainment content, and the content policy information is
ascertained through one or both of: (a) extraction of watermarks
that are embedded in the one or more advertisements or in the
received entertainment content, and (b) computation of fingerprints
associated with the one or more advertisements or the entertainment
content. The computer program product further includes program code
for triggering presentation of the one or more advertisements:
before allowing presentation of advertisement-free playback of the
entertainment content, or simultaneous with presentation of the
entertainment content.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0034] FIG. 1 shows a high-level diagram of an
advertising-supported content distribution system in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment.
[0035] FIG. 2 illustrates some of the components within a compliant
device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
[0036] FIG. 3 shows a sequence of content segments in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment in which one or more advertisements
are watermarked.
[0037] FIG. 4 shows a sequence of content segments in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment, in which the entertainment content is
watermarked.
[0038] FIG. 5 shows a sequence of content segments in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment in which the both the entertainment
content and the advertisements are watermarked.
[0039] FIG. 6A illustrates a set of operations that can be carried
out when content distribution using a CPI state (e.g., `ads-obliged
state) is effected in a accordance with an exemplary
embodiment.
[0040] FIG. 6B illustrates a set of operations 650 that can be
carried out to control presentation of an entertainment content and
associated advertisements in accordance with an exemplary
embodiment.
[0041] FIG. 7 illustrates a system 700 that can accommodate the
disclosed embodiments.
[0042] FIG. 8 illustrates a simplified diagram of an exemplary
device within which various disclosed embodiments may be
implemented.
[0043] FIG. 9 illustrates a set of operations that can be carried
out to effectuate advertising-supported content distribution in
accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
[0044] FIG. 10 illustrates a set of operations that may be carried
out to trigger presentation of one or more advertisements in
accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS
[0045] In the following description, for purposes of explanation
and not limitation, details and descriptions are set forth in order
to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments.
However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the
present invention may be practiced in other embodiments that depart
from these details and descriptions.
[0046] Additionally, in the subject description, the word
"exemplary" is used to mean serving as an example, instance, or
illustration. Any embodiment or design described herein as
"exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or
advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, use of the
word exemplary is intended to present concepts in a concrete
manner.
[0047] Watermarking has been used to enable the communication and
enactment of use policies for audiovisual content across a broad
range of distribution channels and devices. Watermarks are
typically embedded substantially imperceptibly in one or more
components of a multimedia content, such as in an audio component
or a video component, and can be used for a variety of applications
such as tamper detection, copy management, content identification,
broadcast monitoring, etc. Digital watermarks can also be used to
communicate Content Policy Information (CPI) between the content
provider and the compliant consumer devices. Examples of CPI
include Copy Once, No More Copy, No Home Use (i.e. the content that
contains such CPI information is intended for theatrical release
only but not for home use), Trusted Source (implying that the
content should be protected by approved encryption). As will be
described in the sections that follow, watermarks can also be used
to enable the advertisement-obliged or advertisement supported
content distribution, where the presentation of certain
advertisements is required for, or facilitates, the viewing of the
entertainment content. For example, the disclosed embodiments can
be used to effect award-earning content distribution, where the
viewers can earn award points by viewing the presentation of such
content including advertisements.
[0048] The watermarked content is distributed through any means and
may ultimately be used on devices that incorporate the watermark
detection functionality. The detection functionality enables those
devices to retrieve the information contained within the watermarks
and apply the associated content use policies. For example, the
retrieved information may indicate that the content is only
intended for theatrical release and not for use in any consumer
devices, or the content is intended for use only under the
governance of certain content protection technologies.
[0049] In some implementations, devices such as Blu-ray Disc
players read CPI from the audio track of audiovisual content that
they are playing or copying, and may limit the use of the content
when certain unauthorized uses are identified. Playback or copying
of unauthorized copies may be stopped or audio may be muted as
enforcement response, depending on which CPI is found and what
operation is being performed. For example, when the use of content
is restricted based on a CPI, an explanatory message may be
provided on the video screen or on the front panel of the device as
part of the enforcement response.
[0050] Revenue from advertisement is one of the major sources for
content providers to fully monetize their assets and investment.
Modern user interfaces allow the users to smoothly switch channels
to skip viewing the commercials. Devices such as Digital Video
Recorders (DVRs) allow programs to be recorded for later viewing.
During replay of such recorded programs, commercials can be
skipped, either manually by the users or automatically by certain
devices. Moreover, commercials can be removed or replaced from
content for unauthorized distribution (e.g., broadcasting and
online distribution). For content providers and distributors, it is
crucial to prevent the user from conveniently skipping the
advertisements especially in an advertisement-supported content
distribution model.
[0051] In some embodiments of the present application, a
non-skippable (or an enforced) advertisement system is provided
such that playback of necessary advertisements is enforced as a
specific content policy based on the CPI embedded as watermarks in
advertisement-obliged content or in advertisement materials.
[0052] To utilize an advertisement-obliged state, a compliant
consumer device (i.e., a consumer device that is configured to
detect the CPI and enforce the associated polices) is needed to
enforce a policy related to watching non-skippable advertisements
during playback of the content that contains such a CPI. An example
of such a policy associated with an ad-support CPI is to require
certain advertisements or certain amount of advertisements to be
watched without skipping or shortening the duration of content
viewing (e.g., not to use fast-forward or other trick playback
modes) during playback of content items distributed by a specific
distributor or channel. It should be noted that while in describing
certain embodiments of the present application references are made
to "viewing" or "watching" advertisements, it is understood, that
the disclosed embodiments are also applicable to audio content.
[0053] In addition to the CPI state, watermarks may also contain
the information that identifies one or more of the following: One
or more identifiers for the entertainment content title ("content
ID" or CID); one or more identifiers for the content sources
through which the content is distributed ("Content Source ID" or
"SourceID"), such as TV networks, channels or content distributors;
and/or one or more identifiers for individual segments of the
content (for example a timecode, a counter value, and the like,
that identifies temporal location of a content segment). For
example, based on timecodes which identify each unique segment in a
content item, the start and end of each watermarked segment of the
content can also be identified. Thus, the duration of each
watermarked segment can be calculated from the start and end
positions of the segment in the content. CID, SourceID and
timecodes are collectively called identification information. It
should be noted that the above list of identification information
is not exhaustive and the watermarks can carry additional
information. Moreover, in some embodiments, one or more of the
information carried on the watermark can be combined. It should
also be noted that the identification information is not limited to
being represented by the watermarks that are embedded in the
content. Another representation of the identification information
fingerprints, which are digests derived from features of the
content without requiring modification of the content.
[0054] In the remainder of this disclosure, the term "content" is
sometimes used to broadly cover audio and video contents,
including, but not limited to, Movies, TV and Events, Music,
Interactive Content, Mobile Content, UGC, Voice, Advertisements
which are distributed by any means such as Terrestrial, cable,
satellite, Internet Protocols, IPTV, OTT (Over-the-Top) Internet,
Web, Mobile, Physical Media, and others. To avoid confusion,
content that is dedicated for advertising is called an
advertisement (sometimes abbreviated as "ad" or "ads") while the
remaining types of content is referred to as "entertainment
content." It is however understood that the content may have other
purposes than entertainment. For example, news and documentaries
are other non-exclusive types of content that may be referred to as
"entertainment content" in this disclosure.
[0055] FIG. 1 shows a high-level diagram of an
advertisement-obliged content distribution system in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment. It should be noted that throughout
this disclosure, the terms "advertisement obliged," "advertisement
supported," and "advertisement enhanced" may be used
interchangeably, in connection with content distribution, to refer
to distribution of content that is accompanied by advertisements.
These advertisements, among other things, may be required for
viewing the content, may incentivize but not require a consumer to
view the advertisements and/or allow financial transactions to
occur that are associated with content and/or advertisements. As
illustrated in FIG. 1, the entertainment content can be embedded
with watermarks using the watermark embedder 102 and is stored at
the content database 106. Similarly, the advertisement content can
be embedded with watermarks using a watermark embedder 104 and
stored at an ads database 108. The compliant device 110 can then
access (or be presented with) the embedded content and/or
advertisements. It should be noted that while two separate
watermark embedders 102, 104 and two separate ads/content databases
106, 108 are shown (e.g., to show content and ads can be embedded
and stored separately), in some embodiments, entertainment content
and advertisement watermarking and/or storage may occur using the
same watermark embedder (e.g., at the same facility) and/or the
same database (or different portions of the same database) may be
used to store the content and the advertisements.
[0056] The compliant device 110 of FIG. 1, can be any hardware,
software (including system or application software), or combination
of them that is capable of obtaining content policy information and
taking actions in accordance with the policy. The actions may
include granting award points in exchange for viewing the
presentation of the award-earning content, controlling the
presentation of the entertainment content and/or advertisements,
and the like. Examples of the compliant device include Set-Top
Boxes, Blu-ray players, tablets, mobile phones, PCs, TVs, media
players, apps on mobile devices, etc.
[0057] FIG. 2 illustrates some of the components within a compliant
device 200 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. The
exemplary compliant device 200 of FIG. 2 includes a media player
202 that plays the content including entertainment content and
advertisements. The media player 200 can be equipped with various
functionalities that allow, for example, playback of the content,
in either or both forward and reverse directions, and at various
speeds, allow skipping of the content, recording of the content and
the like. The Advertisement Selector 206 is configured to select
the advertisements from the Ads Local Inventory 210 based on, for
example, personal preferences and other customization information.
The Policy Enforcement Manager 204 is configured to execute the
actions determined by Policy Manager 208. The Policy Manager 208 is
configured to determine the actions based on the predefined
policies associated with watermark payloads that are embedded in
the content being played back. The Watermark Detector 212 is
configured to detect watermarks from the content and recover the
watermark payloads. The exemplary compliant device 200 of FIG. 2
can include fewer or additional items. For example, some of the
components within FIG. 2 can be combined together and/or the
compliant device 200 of FIG. 2 can include a processor, a memory,
one or more communication units (which can include a receiver
and/or a transmitter that is configured to receive and/or send
data, information and signals to other entities through a
communication channel), a display, speakers and other components to
allow proper operations of the compliant device 200. For example,
the compliant device 200 can include a content policy information
detector that is configured to obtain the content policy
information or state (e.g., the CPI that is specifically related to
the advertisement-obliged content distribution) through one or more
of: extraction of watermarks, computation of fingerprints and
obtaining the CPI associated with a content from a remote device.
Such a content policy information detector can, for example, be
incorporated as part of the Policy Manager 208. In some
embodiments, the content policy information may be obtained from a
different component or device that resides outside of the compliant
device (e.g., from a content distributor, advertisement servers, or
other trusted entities in the home network or in the cloud).
[0058] In the sections that follow, three exemplary scenarios are
described based on whether the advertisements, entertainment
content or both are watermarked. If one of them is not watermarked
or does not contain the watermark information that identifies the
CID, Content Source lD and/or timecodes ("identification
information"), such identification information may be made
available to a compliant device (e.g., provided by the distribution
system or through other identification system such as metadata
lookup or digital fingerprinting content recognition).
[0059] FIG. 3 shows a sequence of content segments in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment in which one or more advertisements
are watermarked. In FIG. 3, the shaded regions represent
advertisements that are interspersed within the entertainment
content, and are embedded with watermarks. The clear regions
represent unwatermarked entertainment content or advertisements. It
should be noted that while in some embodiments, the embedded
advertisements may be presented in a time-multiplexed fashion with
respect to the remaining segments of the content, in other
embodiments, the embedded advertisements (or advertisements in
general) may be presented simultaneously as the entertainment
content. In case of the latter, the advertisements may be presented
as pop-ups, as translucent overlays, or on a separate display or as
a separate window as the entertainment content. When the exemplary
content segments of FIG. 3 are received at a compliant device, the
compliant device can recover the identification information from
the watermarked advertisements. The duration of watermarked
advertisements can be calculated from, for example, the detected
timecodes. The duration of the entertainment content being played
back can be estimated from the duration of absence of watermarks,
and/or provided by the system clock of the compliant device. An
example of enforcement action in this scenario includes preventing
skipping of the advertisement by mandatorily playing back the
advertisements when insufficient advertisement time has been
accumulated since the start of the playback.
[0060] FIG. 4 shows a sequence of content segments in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment, in which the entertainment content is
watermarked. In FIG. 4, the shaded regions represent embedded
sections of the entertainment content, and the clear regions
represent unwatermarked advertisements. When the exemplary content
segments of FIG. 4 are received at a compliant device, the device
can recover the identification information from the watermarked
content. The duration of watermarked content can be calculated
from, for example, the detected timecodes, and the duration of
unwatermarked ads can be estimated from the duration of absence of
watermarks or provided by compliant device when such ads are
locally buffered. An example of enforcement action in this scenario
includes preventing skipping of the advertisement by mandatorily
playing back the advertisements when insufficient advertisement
time has been accumulated since the start of the content
playback.
[0061] FIG. 5 shows a sequence of content segments in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment, in which the both the entertainment
content and the advertisements are watermarked. In FIG. 5, the
solid black regions represent embedded sections of the
entertainment content, and the shaded regions represent watermarked
advertisements. The embedded information can include ClD, SourceID,
timecodes, and the like. When the exemplary content segments of
FIG. 5 are received at a compliant device, the device can recover
the identification information from the watermarked entertainment
content and/or advertisements. The duration of both the watermarked
content and watermarked advertisements can be calculated during the
playback. A compliant device is able to identify the entertainment
content and the advertisements based on the extracted CIDs from the
watermarked entertainment content and watermarked advertisements,
respectively. An example enforcement action in this scenario
includes enforcing the playback a list of specific non-skippable
ads during the playback of a list of specific entertainment
contents. For example, a car company can show a new car
advertisement whenever a specific movie is played back during an
ad-supported release window on any home entertainment platform such
as mobile device, computers or smart TVs.
[0062] It should be noted that throughout the present application,
the term release window sometimes used to refer to a specific time
period or time interval, upon the termination of which the
entertainment content may be released in a different form. For
example, an entertainment content is often released by the movie
studios in phases, or windows. In particular, release windows of a
movie can include, but are not limited to, theatrical release in
select theaters, release in all (or a larger number of theatres),
release on Blu-ray, DVD, release on release as video on demand,
release on cable/satellite subscription networks, release on
Internet, release on over-the-air television, and the like. In some
of the disclosed embodiments, each release window may be signaled
using embedded watermarks that, for example, differ from one
release window to another. In some embodiments, the release window
can be signaled from external sources, such as a database (e.g.,
iMDb) that includes information regarding the history and latest
release window of an entertainment content.
[0063] According to the some embodiments, advertisements can be
customized to allow targeted advertising. For example, different
advertisements can be played with the same entertainment content
depending on user's information (e.g., user's preferences)
privately stored in the compliant device. As a result, the users
are presented with more relevant and less annoying advertisement
materials while advertisers benefit from consumer information
without having actual access to the information.
[0064] Moreover, in some embodiments, such targeted advertisements
can be dynamic. That is, the same user may be presented with
different advertisements each time the same entertainment content
is played back. Dynamic advertising may improve the user's
experience (by avoiding repeated advertisements) and improve the
value of the entertainment content (by introducing new
advertisements).
In some exemplary embodiments, a compliant device may select an
advertisement from the local advertisement inventory according to
at least one or more of the following:
[0065] The title or genre of the entertainment content that is
being played back;
[0066] The advertisement presentation history on a specific
device;
[0067] The entertainment programming contextual relevance of an
advertisement;
[0068] The current date and time;
[0069] The feedback provided by the user regarding the
advertisements (collected from, for example, on an additional
screen of a separate device, or a separate window on the same
device that displays the entertainment content);
[0070] The location (e.g., geographic location) information of the
device that presents the content, or user of such device;
[0071] The playback platform (e.g., whether the content is being
presented on a laptop, game console, mobile phone, tablet, smart
TV, etc.);
[0072] The type of the media that is used to distribute the content
(e.g., physical disc, digital in HD, digital on mobile, etc.);
and/or
[0073] The content distributor and distribution channel (e.g.,
broadcast channel, OTT, VOD, etc.).
[0074] The advertisement can be delivered to the users through a
variety of techniques, configurations and channels. In one example
embodiment, the advertisements are part of the content or are bound
together with the content. In these scenarios, the advertisements
are, for example, inserted into the entertainment content prior to
delivery for the application, such as video-on-demand (VOD). Such
advertisements can be personalized by the VOD servers based on the
information about devices, user profiles, the content that is being
consumed, associated rights policies and the like. More details in
this regard will be presented in the sections that follow.
[0075] In another exemplary embodiment, the advertisements are
inserted during the delivery, for example, by the servers of
Content Distribution Networks (CDN). In these scenarios, the
advertisements can be regionally targeted. For example, local
advertisements can be inserted for all customers in a particular
local area.
[0076] In yet another exemplary embodiment, the advertisements are
dynamically selected and inserted from a locally buffered
advertisement inventory. Such insertion may be performed in
real-time for broadcast or live content. Additionally, or
alternatively, the insertion of such advertisements from a local
inventory can be carried out for recorded content (e.g. using a
DVR). Such advertisement inventory can be pulled by the compliant
devices or pushed by the advertisement servers into the local
advertisement storage during the same time as the content is being
presented or distributed, or during previous
presentation/distribution of the content. When advertisements are
stored on local devices, they can be synchronized with Ads Servers
periodically, manually, triggered by downloading/streaming of
legitimate content, or triggered by extraction of watermark
payloads. In one example embodiment, the reception of an
entertainment content that includes one or more embedded watermarks
can automatically trigger a watermark extractor to extract embedded
watermarks. Based on the extracted watermarks, the compliant device
can automatically select advertisements based on a particular
criteria, and present the advertisements on the compliant
device.
[0077] According to the disclosed embodiments, a variety of
enforcement actions can be supported. Some examples of the actions
are described below. However, it is understood that new actions may
be defined, including actions that are provided by combining the
actions from one or more existing categories.
[0078] In some embodiments, the enforcement action is based on
advertising time requirements. For example, such an enforcement
policy can require a minimum time for presentation of
advertisements during the playback of an entertainment content. In
one exemplary embodiment, the enforcement policy requires that at
least one advertisement to be presented for every 5- or 10-minute
presentation of an entertainment content. In another exemplary
embodiment, the enforcement policy requires that a specific
"pre-roll" advertisement precede the presentation of an
entertainment content. In still another exemplary embodiment, the
enforcement policy requires playback of N % advertisement
(measured, for example, in terms of a percentage of time) for
presentation of every (100-N) % entertainment content. In all of
the above cases, a failure to fulfill the enforcement policy can
result in an enforcement action, such as stoppage of playback of
content, display of warning or informational messages, disabling of
fast-forward functionality, and the like. In some embodiments,
failure to fulfill the enforcement policy may result in more than
one enforcement action, or can allow the user to select between
alternate enforcement actions, some of which may not be detrimental
to viewing of the content. In some embodiments, a compliant player
may be configured to enforce one particular enforcement policy,
such as disabling the fast-forward or skip functionalities, in
accordance with enforcement policy requirements.
[0079] In some embodiments, the enforcement action is based on
using an award program. For example, the enforcement policy can
allow certain award/loyalty points to be spent in order to skip or
shorten the presentation of advertisements during presentations of
the entertainment content. For instance, these award points can be
purchased or earned through loyalty programs provided by content
providers, content distributors, networks, marketers, advertisement
agencies or other parties. Details of using and earning
Advertisement Credits are described in the sections that
follow.
[0080] In some embodiments, enforcement action is based on
cross-media and cross-platform advertising. In this context, a
platform includes a hardware architecture and a software framework
(such as one or more application frameworks), where software,
particularly application software such as media player and media
streaming client, to able to be executed. Typical platforms such as
Microsoft Windows or Google Android include an architecture,
operating system, programming languages and related user interface.
Cross-media and cross-platform advertising can, for example,
introduce more opportunities to create brand awareness by bringing
the same advertising message across multiple media formats (e.g.,
in HD, SD and mobile), through different distribution methods
(e.g., linear TV or VOD, Internet, 4G, etc.), and across different
consumption platforms/devices (e.g., Set-Top Boxes, Blu-ray
players, tablets, mobile phones, PCs, etc.). In some exemplary
embodiments, the enforcement action associated with the
cross-media/cross-platform advertising requires that a specific
advertisement (or a specific group of advertisements) to be
presented during presentation of a specific entertainment content
item (or a specific group of entertainment contents). In some
embodiments, advertisements may be grouped according to various
criteria such as the brand name, sponsors, industry, category of
the advertised products. Additionally, or alternatively, in some
embodiments, entertainment content may be grouped according to 1)
production and rights information such as the rights holder,
content creator, and content distributor; 2) distribution
information such as content distribution channels, distribution
platforms, consumption platforms, and content sources; and/or 3)
other content metadata such as ranking, genre, release window,
format of the content, producer, crew that took part in content
production, and the like.
[0081] Cross-media advertising policy can be implemented by
matching the identification information between the advertisement
and entertainment content by a compliant device. Such
identification information may be extracted from watermarks or made
available to the compliant devices or through other means such as
metadata from content distributors or content recognition through
digital fingerprinting.
[0082] Some examples of cross-media and cross-platform advertising,
include but are not limited to:
[0083] A series of advertisements promoting a product are presented
on all platforms, such as TVs, mobile devices, and PCs, during each
live and recorded presentation of a series of episodes of a
specific TV show from a specific network within a specific time
period.
[0084] An advertisement promoting a car is presented whenever a
specific movie is presented on all compliant devices such as
Blu-ray players, tablets, mobile phones or PCs.
[0085] Presentation of a TV show requires presentation of
advertisements from a TV network or its affiliates that create and
distribute the TV show.
[0086] Presentation of a movie requires presentation of one or more
advertisements from an advertiser who sponsors the distribution of
the movie.
[0087] According to the disclosed embodiments, advertisement award
points may be utilized in advertising-supported content
distribution. Advertisement award programs may be created by a
multiple system operator (MSO), a retailer, an advertiser or
sponsor, advertisement agency, an OTT provider such as Netflix or
Amazon, or a TV network, or a content owner. In some example
embodiments, the award points accumulated through advertisement
award program created by a content distributor may be redeemed only
for the benefits associated with the content distributed by such
distributor and its affiliates. To this end, one or more
identifiers that are obtained by the compliant device are
associated with one or more award programs. For example, the points
earned from the award program created by ABC Networks may be
redeemed for premium content viewing with a discounted fee,
allowing viewing of an entertainment content without (or with
shortened) advertisements, or receiving discounts to purchase
products at a Disney store. In some example embodiments, the user
can spend the award points to skip or shorten the advertisements
during the playback of the entertainment content that contains the
CPI `ads-support` state. For example, the award points are redeemed
from the user's account associated with the award program that is
created by the distributor of such entertainment content, and
registered with the identification information of such
entertainment content which is obtained by the compliant device.
According to some embodiments, the user can redeem the accumulated
advertisement award points to receive product discounts, gifts, or
cash from advertisers.
[0088] The disclosed embodiments further allow advertisement award
points to be earned and redeemed in different ways. For example,
the points can be purchased, earned via purchase of a content
(e.g., via download, VOD, DBD/BD, etc.), earned by viewing certain
affiliates programs, or other promotions. Alternatively, or
additionally, award points can be earned by viewing advertisements
across multiple platforms such advertisements presented on a TV, on
an online program, and/or on mobile device. Such award points may
be calculated based on the number of advertising impressions
exposed to a user or duration of the watched advertisements. Such
watched advertisements can be identified and measured automatically
by the compliant device that continuously identifies the
entertainment content and advertisements during the their
presentation. The award points can be stored locally at the
compliant devices and/or submitted by the compliant device to a
central location that keeps track of the award points. In
additional or alternate embodiments, credits can be purchased,
transferred, and further shared among family members.
[0089] In some embodiments, a user may create multiple accounts
with different advertisement award programs. Each advertisement
award program can, for example, correspond to one or more CIDs that
are extracted from the entertainment content or advertisements. An
advertisement award program can be established by an advertiser,
advertisement sponsor, agency, promoter, content distributor or
producer, and market intelligence firms to promote and sell the
products or enrich the value of the ads. When an advertisement
identified by a particular CID is presented to a user, the user (or
the compliant device associated with that user) earns award points
from one or more of the associated award programs that are
registered with such identifier. When a particular CID is
associated with more than one award program, the user or the
compliant device may determine the preference of these programs so
that the award points earned by watching the identified
advertisements are only credited to the preferred award program.
The award points can be redeemed against the offers provided by the
owner of the award program. For example, the award points from an
advertiser can be redeemed for coupons to buy the products or
services provided by such advertiser. In another example, the award
points from a content distributor may be redeemed for reduced
advertisements on the program provided by such distributor or for
personalized and exclusive content.
[0090] In additional or alternate embodiments, award points earned
in different programs may be transferred, exchanged, and further
shared among these programs subject to the collaboration and
agreements among these programs.
[0091] FIG. 6A illustrates the operations 600 that can be carried
out when content distribution using a CPI state (e.g., `ads-obliged
state) is effected in a accordance with an exemplary embodiment. In
particular, the operations 600 start at 602 when the CPI state
(e.g., `ads-obliged` state) is obtained. Next, at 604 an
advertisement award program message is displayed to the user. For
example, the message at 604 can indicate to the user that "N
advertisement award points are required to continue playback" of
the entertainment content. Upon seeing the message, the user can
make a decision as to whether or not agree to use his/her
accumulated award points. If received input at 606 is affirmative
(i.e., "YES" at 606), at 610, the advertisement award points are
updated (e.g., reduced to account for subtraction of N credits),
and the playback of the entertainment content continues without
advertisements or with a modified (e.g., an abbreviated) version of
advertisements. If, on the other hand, received input at 606 is a
"NO" (e.g., the user does not agree to use N award points), then
the user may be optionally be prompted at 608 to answer whether or
not he/she agrees to watch the advertisements. If the answer
received at 608 is a "NO," then presentation of content is stopped
at 614 (or is prevented, if the operations 600 are carried out, for
example, prior to presentation of the entertainment content). If
the input received at 608 is affirmative (i.e., "YES" at 608), then
at 612 one or more non-skippable advertisements are presented to
the user. In some embodiments, the user may have the option of
selecting the particular advertisement(s) for viewing, while in
other embodiments, the advertisements may be selected for the user.
Such a selection may be carried out based on the user profile
(e.g., stored user preferences), at random, or based on other
criteria, such as the type of platform, the content format, the
content owner's preferences and the like. It should be noted that
the various messages that are presented to the user in the
exemplary operations 600 of FIG. 6A, may be displayed as
interruptions in presentation of the entertainment content, as an
overlay (a pop-up, a translucent overlay, or as a
picture-in-picture screen), or on a companion device (e.g., on a
tablet device, when the entertainment program is being presented on
a television). It should be further noted that, in some
embodiments, operations at 608 and 614 may not be implemented. That
is, at 606, upon user's refusal to use the his/her award points,
the operations 600 directly flows to 612, where non-skippable
advertisement(s) are presented to the user.
[0092] FIG. 6B illustrates a set of operations 650 that can be
carried out to control presentation of an entertainment content and
associated advertisements in accordance with an exemplary
embodiment. At 652, an indication at a compliant device is receive
that an entertainment content is associated with a content policy
information. The content policy information relates to presentation
of one or more advertisements during, or prior to, presentation of
the entertainment content. Further, the content policy information
is ascertained through one or both of: (a) extraction of watermarks
embedded in the one or more advertisements or the entertainment
content and (b) computation and matching of fingerprints associated
with the one or more advertisements or the entertainment content.
At 654, an indication that the entertainment content is associated
with an advertisement award program is received. At 656, an
advertisement award program message is provided that indicates
modified presentation of the one or more advertisements is allowed
in exchange for a specific number of award points of an
advertisement award program. At 658, upon receiving an indication
that modified presentation of the one or more advertisements in
exchange for the specific number of award points is desired, one or
more advertisements are allowed to be presented in a modified
form.
[0093] FIG. 7 illustrates a system 700 that can accommodate the
disclosed embodiments. The system 700 includes a first device 702
that is configured to present a multimedia content that can include
both the entertainment content and the advertisements. The first
device 702 can be coupled to, or include, a display screen, a
projector screen, one or more speakers and the associated
circuitry, such as a processor and a memory, as well as software
components to enable the reception, storage, processing and
presentation of a multimedia content. The first device 702 can be
in communication with a database 714. The database 714 includes one
or more storage 718 devices for storage of a variety of multimedia
content, including the entertainment content and the
advertisements, as well as meta data, survey results, applications,
instructions, etc., which may be stored on magnetic, optical,
semiconductor and/or other types of memory devices. The database
714 can, for example, include a remote (e.g., cloud-based) storage
device.
[0094] The first device 702 may, alternatively or additionally, be
configured to receive multimedia content and metadata through one
or more other sources 716, such as through the Internet, through a
terrestrial broadcast channel, through a cable network, through a
home network (e.g., a Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA)
compliant network), through a wired or wireless network (e.g., a
local area network (LAN), wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network
(WAN) and the like). Such a media content can also be a real-time
(e.g., streaming) content that is broadcast, unicast or otherwise
provided to the first device 702. The received content can be at
least partially stored and/or buffered before being presented by
the first device 702. In some embodiments, the first device 702 is
a compliant device that is shown in FIG. 2.
[0095] Referring again to FIG. 7, in some embodiments, the first
device 702 is also in communication with at least a second device
706 to, for example, present various questions or alerts to the
user. In some embodiments, the second device 706 is also in
communication with the database 714. Connectivity between the
various devices in FIG. 7, and components therein, can be
effectuated using any one of wired or wireless communication
techniques, including but not limited to 802.11 protocol,
Bluetooth, Infrared transmissions, and the like.
[0096] Certain aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be
implemented as a device that includes a processor, and a memory
comprising processor executable code, the processor executable
code, when executed by the processor, configures the device to
perform any one of and/or all operations that are described in the
present application. In some examples, the devices that are
described in the present application can comprise a processor, a
memory unit, an interface that are communicatively connected to
each other, and may range from desktop and/or laptop computers, to
consumer electronic devices such as media players, mobile devices
and the like. For example, FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram of a
device 800 within which various disclosed embodiments may be
implemented. The device 800 comprises at least one processor 804
and/or controller, at least one memory 802 unit that is in
communication with the processor 804, and at least one
communication unit 806 that enables the exchange of data and
information, directly or indirectly, through the communication link
808 with other entities, devices, databases and networks. The
communication unit 806 may provide wired and/or wireless
communication capabilities in accordance with one or more
communication protocols, and therefore it may comprise the proper
transmitter/receiver antennas, circuitry and ports, as well as the
encoding/decoding capabilities that may be necessary for proper
transmission and/or reception of data and other information. The
exemplary device 800 of FIG. 8 may be integrated as part of a
compliant device, such as the compliant device that is shown in
FIG. 2, to carry out some or all of the operations that are
described in the present application.
[0097] In some embodiments, the device 800 of FIG. 8 may also be
incorporated into a device that resides at a remote database, such
as database 714, that is shown in FIG. 7, and is configured to
perform some or all of the operations that are described in
accordance with various disclosed embodiments. FIG. 9 illustrates a
set of operations 900 that can be carried out to effectuate
advertising-supported content distribution in accordance with an
exemplary embodiment. At 902, an entertainment content is received
at a compliant device. At 904, content policy information
associated with the received content is obtained. Such a content
policy information relates to presentation of one or more
advertisements during a specific release window of the
entertainment content, and is ascertained through one or both of:
(a) extraction of watermarks that are embedded in the one or more
advertisements or the received entertainment content, and (b)
computation of fingerprints associated with the one or more
advertisements or the entertainment content. At 906, presentation
of one or more advertisements is triggered before allowing
presentation of the entertainment content or simultaneous with
presentation of the entertainment content. The presentation of the
one or more advertisements can be done on the compliant device that
is presenting the entertainment content, or on another device
companion to the compliant device.
[0098] FIG. 10 illustrates a set of operations 1000 that may be
carried out to trigger presentation of one or more advertisements
in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. In particular, at 1002,
at least a portion of an entertainment content is received at a
compliant device. At 1004, content policy information associated
with the received entertainment content id obtained. The content
policy information relates to presentation of one or more
advertisements during a specific release window of the
entertainment content, and the content policy information is
ascertained through one or both of: (a) extraction of watermarks
that are embedded in the one or more advertisements or the
entertainment content, and (b) computation and matching of
fingerprints associated with the one or more advertisements or the
entertainment content. At 1006, presentation of the one or more
advertisements is triggered. Such presentation is provided before
allowing presentation of advertisement-free playback of the
entertainment content, or simultaneous with presentation of the
entertainment content.
[0099] As noted earlier, the disclosed embodiments further allow
delivery of targeted advertisements that are consistent and/or
synchronized across multiple media, distribution methods and
consumption platforms. Further, an award program in accordance with
the presented embodiments allows the users to earn points by, for
example, watching advertisements, and spending/applying the earned
points to skip or shorten presentation of future advertisements. As
such, the disclosed embodiments at the very least address the
problems of advertisement skipping, inconsistent targeted
advertisements across different media types and platforms, and lack
of motivation/loyalty with respect to advertisement
consumption.
[0100] It is understood that the various embodiments of the present
disclosure may be implemented individually, or collectively, in
devices comprised of various hardware and/or software modules,
units and components. In describing the disclosed embodiments,
sometimes separate components have been illustrated as being
configured to carry out one or more operations. It is understood,
however, that two or more of such components can be combined
together and/or each component may comprise sub-components that are
not depicted. Further, the operations that are described in the
present application are presented in a particular sequential order
in order to facilitate understanding of the underlying concepts. It
is understood, however, that such operations may be conducted in a
different sequential order, and further, additional or fewer steps
may be used to carry out the various disclosed operations.
[0101] Various embodiments described herein are described in the
general context of methods or processes, which may be implemented
in one embodiment by a computer program product, embodied in a
computer-readable medium, including computer-executable
instructions, such as program code, executed by computers in
networked environments. A computer-readable medium may include
removable and non-removable storage devices including, but not
limited to, Read Only Memory (ROM), Random Access Memory (RAM),
compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVD), Blu-ray Discs,
etc. Therefore, the computer-readable media described in the
present application include non-transitory storage media.
Generally, program modules may include routines, programs, objects,
components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or
implement particular abstract data types. Computer-executable
instructions, associated data structures, and program modules
represent examples of program code for executing steps of the
methods disclosed herein. The particular sequence of such
executable instructions or associated data structures represents
examples of corresponding acts for implementing the functions
described in such steps or processes.
[0102] A content that is embedded with watermarks in accordance
with the disclosed embodiments may be stored on a storage medium or
transmitted through a communication channel. In some embodiments,
such a content that includes one or more imperceptibly embedded
watermarks, when accessed by a content handling device (e.g., a
software or hardware media player) that is equipped with a
watermark extractor and/or a fingerprint computation component, can
trigger a watermark extraction or fingerprint computation process
to trigger the various operations that are described in this
application.
[0103] The foregoing description of embodiments has been presented
for purposes of illustration and description. The foregoing
description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit
embodiments of the present invention to the precise form disclosed,
and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above
teachings or may be acquired from practice of various embodiments.
The embodiments discussed herein were chosen and described in order
to explain the principles and the nature of various embodiments and
its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to
utilize the present invention in various embodiments and with
various modifications as are suited to the particular use
contemplated. The features of the embodiments described herein may
be combined in all possible combinations of methods, apparatus,
modules, systems, and computer program products.
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